Camera shake
To reduce camera shake when you're sans tripod or stable surface - plant your feet, jam your elbows into your sides and squeeze the shutter button at the end of an out breath.
Camera shake is super frustrating. This used to happen to me a lot - I'd take a picture which looked really sweet on the digital display but when I uploaded it to my laptop it was kind of blurry and nowhere near as sweet as I thought. At first I blamed my camera. Stupid camera! Tsk!.. TSK, I say! But when my camera stubbornly refused to fix the problem itself, I reluctantly conceded that it was probably my fault and I learned some new tricks.
There are several ways to minimise camera shake.
1. Most digital cameras have a stabilising function. Use it.
2. Invest in a tripod. Tripods are great and they don't have to be big or expensive. Monopods are also good, although you get some funny looks from people who don't get it. You'll probably hear a lot of "what kind of stupid tripod only has one leg?"
3. Look for stable places to rest your camera - a park bench, bridge railing, rock, someone else's one-legged tripod, etc.
4. Use a faster shutter speed.
5. Relax, and be aware of your breathing.
That last point is my favourite, I learned it from my rifle shooting instructor. (I'm not even joking about that.) It's pretty obvious that tense muscles will make your body shake but a lot of people don't realise how much their breathing moves their face and body. To combat this, breathe in, then breathe out, pause and take the picture. This is especially important when using zoom.
One last thing, don't hit the shutter button too hard - ideally you want to squeeze it gently, then roll your finger off once you hear the click. Easy peasy!
Camera shake is super frustrating. This used to happen to me a lot - I'd take a picture which looked really sweet on the digital display but when I uploaded it to my laptop it was kind of blurry and nowhere near as sweet as I thought. At first I blamed my camera. Stupid camera! Tsk!.. TSK, I say! But when my camera stubbornly refused to fix the problem itself, I reluctantly conceded that it was probably my fault and I learned some new tricks.
There are several ways to minimise camera shake.
1. Most digital cameras have a stabilising function. Use it.
2. Invest in a tripod. Tripods are great and they don't have to be big or expensive. Monopods are also good, although you get some funny looks from people who don't get it. You'll probably hear a lot of "what kind of stupid tripod only has one leg?"
3. Look for stable places to rest your camera - a park bench, bridge railing, rock, someone else's one-legged tripod, etc.
4. Use a faster shutter speed.
5. Relax, and be aware of your breathing.
That last point is my favourite, I learned it from my rifle shooting instructor. (I'm not even joking about that.) It's pretty obvious that tense muscles will make your body shake but a lot of people don't realise how much their breathing moves their face and body. To combat this, breathe in, then breathe out, pause and take the picture. This is especially important when using zoom.
One last thing, don't hit the shutter button too hard - ideally you want to squeeze it gently, then roll your finger off once you hear the click. Easy peasy!